Movie Review: ‘Newton’ Is A Study In Idealism And Of Rajkummar Rao’s Brilliance

In a sea, full of Mubarakans and Half Girlfriends, once in a while sheer brilliance forces its way through and shines bright, filling that yawning void. Director Amit V Maskar’s Newton is that priceless gem, that rare drop in an ocean of mediocrity that goes against the tide.

Masurkar, who made his directorial debut with Sulemani Keeda in 2013, may have been missing in action for four years, but he has cooked up one of the finest black comedies to ever come of Bollywood. The film is about Nutan Kumar, urf Newton – played by the extraordinarily remarkable Rajkummar Rao – a rookie government clerk dropped pat in the middle of the Naxal-influenced jungles of Chattisgarh. He is determined to conduct a fair election despite the odds placed against him.

[Editor’s note: Possible spoilers ahead]

Early on, there is a point in the film, where Sanjay Mishra shows up in a special appearance, as a senior election official. He explains to Newton that his problem is not his honesty, but his arrogance about it – the problem isn't his imandari but imandari ki ghamand. Basically, Newton need not worry about the big picture as he is just another cog in the wheel at the end of the day. If he wishes to change the system, all he can do is his duty, without expecting felicitations for it. This is a small but significant scene that sets up the stage of the film and the ethos behind it.

What also makes Newton so brilliant is that it is a fine study in idealism, but there are no idealistic, tidy solutions given at the end. Masurkar wanted to place the story about what happens on an election day – that one day that crops up every five years that makes us all feel that we, too, are contributors in our democracy – in a conflicted area. He could have easily set it up in Kashmir, but by choosing to focus on the Maoists and Adivasis, he turned the film into a subversive tour de force.

The film begins with the populist narrative about Maoists, but skilfully holds up the mirror to the nuances of the tug of power that is going on between them and the state. When was the last time a Hindi film acknowledged the existence of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, without reducing them to either a joke or a stereotype?

Rajkummar is not alone in this cinematically exquisite ride. If Newton is the bright-eyed, idealistic school boy, then he is countered by the sceptics flawlessly. On one hand, there is the seasoned senior policemen Aatma Singh, played by the wonderful Pankaj Tripathi, who enacts the role of a manipulative cynic to perfection. On the other, there is Raghubir Yadav’s Loknath, who is a part-time author and full-time indifferent participant of the circus that is election day. Then there is Anjali Patil, who manages to give a quietly riveting performance as a school teacher named Malko, who is used to the way things are, but hasn’t given up on the situation entirely. There are no actors performing in “black face” here. In addition to the superlative performances by the main cast, there are a bunch of locals who also play out their parts fittingly.

There is also a particular montage of all the villagers posing in front of the camera holding up their election ink-stained fingers. It feels like a jarringly dark caricature of our celebrities who proudly show off that they have exercised their democratic right every election day. Except, in place of smiles and sunglasses, there is a quiet rage in the eyes of these villagers. This scene is goosebump-inducing.

There is a lot that Newton masterfully manages to touch upon – corruption, slacking sarkari officials, exploitation of tribals, the bias of mainstream media and the ignorance of our society at large, to name just a few. Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor’s deft use of music never overpowers the narrative or interrupts it. Equally outstanding is Swapnil Sonawane’s cinematography.

All in all, Newton is a film that will thrill you to the core in a way no other movie with a zillion car chases will be able to. Despite being the story of seemingly hopeless, unchangeable situations, it will leave you with an overwhelming sense of hope. This one demands to be watched and very rightfully so.